The Elkhorn Slough Foundation
Board of Directors

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation is a legally consituted 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is governed by a Board of Directors representing a broad cross section of the community.

Stephen K. Webster, President, Carmel Valley
Steve retired in 2004 as Senior Marine Biologist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. He has been involved with the aquarium since its conception in 1976. Dr. Webster studied biology at Stanford and taught for five years at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts. In 1965 he returned to Stanford and its Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove. He received his doctorate from Stanford in 1971 and began teaching invertebrate zoology at San Jose State University. In 1978 he began work on the Monterey Bay Aquarium as Project Coordinator. Dr. Webster serves on the board of trustees for the York School, the Sea Studios Foundation, and is an advisor to EcoFish and the Monterey Academy of Oceanographic Sciences. He served on and is past Chair of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, and currently serves on the Conservation Working Group for the sanctuary. Dr. Webster has been a diving instructor and underwater photographer for 40 years. He is a popular speaker on natural history topics ranging from Monterey Bay to the Caribbean, the Sea of Cortez, the tropical Pacific and the Galapagos Islands. He has a dog named Cody; a cat named Snoopy, and a scorpion named Bruce.

Steve Dennis, Vice President, Carmel
Steve Dennis founded two Silicon Valley software firms: Smith, Dennis & Gaylord in 1973, and SD&G Healthcare Systems in 1988. Since moving to Carmel in 1996, Steve volunteers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. In 1997 Steve joined the Board of the Family Service Agency. In 2002, as Board President, Steve helped plan and negotiate a merger with Community Human Services creating the largest human services agency in the County. In 2002, Steve received the Lucille Packard Volunteer of the Year Award. In 2003, Steve assisted the Aquarium in the development of the Strategic Plan for 2004-2008. Steve is currently on the Board of Sea Studios Foundation and has done work for York School, The Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Foundation, and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. In addition, Steve teaches Strategic Management at Cal State Monterey Bay. Steve and his wife Sona have two married sons and six grandchildren. Steve graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a BS degree in Management Engineering.

Bill Eggleston, Treasurer, Carmel
A long-time resident of Carmel, Bill has successfully retired from an outstanding business career with IBM that allowed him to live abroad as well as on the East Coast. Bill has a background and interest in wetland conservation, serving as the member of the Town of Bedford Wetlands Control Commission for five years. Bill is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Science in Mathematical Statistics. Post-retirement activities include involvement in the Malcomb Baldrige National Quality Award, which he received during his career, and financial management of the Katonah Museum of Art. His interests include the world of finance, golf, and general recreational pursuits.

Jim Van Houten, Secretary, La Selva Beach
Jim is a retired civil engineer. He has been very active in the local conservation movement. Jim’s family has lived in Santa Cruz County for five generations. He is an active volunteer with the Elkhorn Slough Interpretive Guides and the Watsonville Wetlands Watch. Jim has served on the Board of the La Selva Beach Recreation District and the Santa Cruz County Local Agency Formation Commission.
Dick Nutter, Past President, Aptos
Dick Nutter served for 27 years as the Agricultural Commissioner for Monterey County. He was active in developing the potential of agriculture in Central California and presided over the growth of the agricultural sector in Monterey County’s economy to a 2+ billion-a-year enterprise. Dick’s family has been in Santa Cruz County for five generations and, since his retirement, he has been active as a member of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Committee, the Monterey County Agricultural and Historic Land Conservancy, the Steinbeck Center Board of Directors, and the Friends of Moss Landing Marine Laboratories.
Terry

Terry Eckhardt, Soquel
Terry’s passion for the slough goes back to his graduate school days, and sprang from an innate passion for nature. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, a product of the California Public School System and the
University of California at Berkeley. His love of the ocean brought him to the Monterey Bay area and the Moss Landing Marine Labs. During this time, Terry studied marine ecology and earned a teaching credential from San Jose State University. As a high school science teacher, Terry worked to instill a solid environmental ethic in his students. Now that he is retired he looks forward to making a tangible contribution to the protection and conservation of Elkhorn Slough.

Steve Green, Royal Oaks
Steve, and his wife Jane, are neighbors in the watershed, moving in 2000 to land they own adjoining the Porter Marsh. This land is part of ESF's first Conservation Easement project with restoration done by ESF volunteers in the early 1990's after decades of overuse as a cattle ranch. Steve is passionate about protection of endangered habitats, and volunteers at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Steve has extensive management experience developed over 30 years as a Human Resources executive for high tech companies, and has a Masters Degree from Michigan State University. Since retiring in 2003, Steve enjoys kayaking, hiking, native plant gardening, volunteering for conservation causes, and family activities including fun with 3 grandchildren.

Dick Hammond, Carmel
Dick and his wife Barbara have lived in Watsonville and Carmel for 30 years. He has been active as a volunteer on many projects in the Monterey Bay area and overseas, including nine years as a trustee with the Big Sur Land Trust. He is a retired entrepreneur with considerable experience as the COO of two manufacturing companies and was a partner in an investment banking firm. Dick brings to the ESF Board his practical business experience as well as his strong practical enviornmental credentials. He is a graduate of UC Davis with a BS degree in animal husbandry.

Anne Olsen, Salinas
Anne is a partner with the Law Firm of Abramson, Church & Stave in Salinas and specializes in employment law. Anne was born and raised in Castroville and has a great love for the outdoors. Anne has served on the board of the SPCA. She is a graduate of University of California, Santa Barbara, and holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis.
Lydia Lydia Villarreal, Salinas
Lydia graduated from UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law in 1980. She spent eight years representing migrant farm workers with California Rural Legal Assistance and served as deputy district attorney for Monterey County in the Consumer and Environmental Protection Unit. Lydia is currently a judge for the Superior Court of California, Monterey County. She is also the founder of the Center for Community Advocacy, a non profit organization that helps low-income families improve their housing in Salinas. Lydia serves on the boards of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, The James Irvine Foundation and the National Steinbeck Center. She has two wonderful sons, the youngest is in college; the oldest is a biology teacher at Salinas High School. Both sons grew up exploring Elkhorn Slough.

 


 

 

Elkhorn Slough Foundation | Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
Visitors | Education | Research | Get Involved | Natural History | Kid's Corner


This page is maintained by


the Elkhorn Slough Foundation
Become a member today!